Diversity Strategic Plan 2009–2012

Diversity is a core value of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is central to the academic mission of the university.

Diversity refers to our individuality. It identifies each of us as individuals and as valued members of the university community. The diverse learning environment that we have created on campus is a necessary and important part of educating students in the twenty-first century. This diverse learning environment will prepare our students for citizenship and leadership in the new, emerging global community.

A diverse college campus supports a student’s academic and social development and provides a better understanding of the rapidly changing nature of life, work, and relationships in the twenty-first century. For many IUP students, their university experience is their first real opportunity to meet and interact with those from other cultures and other races, and with those who have different backgrounds, beliefs, perspectives, and sexual orientations. It is within such a diverse setting that an entire generation of students can learn the importance of individual achievement, team leadership, civic engagement, and the many facets of stewardship.

Our university’s diversity will help students gain confidence in themselves and will raise their expectations about the future, informing each of them of their own talent and their own potential. A diverse college campus enhances a student’s educational outcomes and enriches their college experience. Because we place such emphasis and value on diversity and on each individual, our students become productive and culturally literate citizens of our nation and the world.

Executive Summary

The first priority of the Office of Social Equity’s Diversity Strategic Plan is to increase diversity among the university’s faculty, staff, and students. Institutional diversity directly contributes to the fundamental educational mission of IUP. Achieving greater diversity is a matter of educational quality, as well as an effective way to improve the educational outcomes of students.

The strategy to increase university diversity is a very intentional strategy that enables us to create a stronger sense of community on campus, and to better engage and educate our students in a diverse learning environment that will better prepare them for career, citizenship, and for a more global future.

Social Equity’s 2009–2012 Diversity Strategic Plan is designed to achieve the following outcomes:

Demonstrate the value of diversity to the university community

Achieve greater institutional diversity, and

Manage diversity effectively

Social Equity’s ability to provide leadership in the important areas of (1) valuing diversity (2) achieving diversity, and (3) managing diversitywill contribute to the university’s standard of academic excellence. Our effectiveness in these areas will become part of our twenty-first century legacy and have a lasting impact on our students’ lives and their success. With this Diversity Strategic Plan, we can make a strategic contribution to the welfare of the university community, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the nation.

The institutional structures of higher education, including those at IUP, have remained mostly unchanged for decades. The nation’s rapidly changing demography and the globalization of our everyday lives will have tremendous impact on IUP and on the future of our students. Many of the old approaches and the old solutions no longer apply. Positive change is needed to enhance institutional diversity in an intentional and strategic way.

IUP is a large enterprise. It is a university community of over 16,000 faculty, staff, and students. IUP offers over 140 undergraduate programs, nearly seventy graduate programs, and ten doctoral programs. It is our institutional responsibility to assist the university community in developing more awareness of our global status and a full appreciation of diversity. The Diversity Strategic Plan of the Office of Social Equity focuses on these outcomes.

Strategic Goals

Goal One: Value Diversity

Definition

Valuing Diversity is defined as an intentional expression of support for diversity.

Goal Attainment Strategies

Educate the university community that diversity represents our individuality and our differences and adds value to our educational experiences.

Demonstrate that diversity is a major priority for the university by working with university leaders to develop annual action plans which address diversity.

Provide resources to support diversity at IUP.

Goal Two: Achieve Diversity

Definition

Achieving Diversity is the outcome of our efforts to create a more diverse, inclusive, and interactive community by increasing diversity among the IUP faculty, staff, and students.

Goal Attainment Strategies

Working with university leaders, develop and implement faculty, staff, and student, recruitment/retention plans that will increase diversity among historically underrepresented groups.